The Scarlet Rookie
by namelessjen
Summary: She's a rookie, and he's a detective. They both know that his heart is some place else but he just wants to feel something with someone. She wants to be that someone even if that means she's going to get her heart broken.
1. I'm Scarlet Quinn

**So I had this idea of what I would like to see on CPD and then I got to thinking about how I wish I was an actor and if I was on CPD what would I want to play? And this character came to mind. I'm going to try my hardest to bring her to life and to give you a chance to love her. Hope you like this so far, I've been working on it all week between figuring out ideas for my other fics. Reviews are greatly appreciated! **

Chicago had been her home for her entire life. She remembers the cool autumn breeze, and the falling of the leaves across every footpath she ever crossed on her way to school. Nothing had changed. It was still the same city she loved to hate.

Only this time around she was ready to face whatever the city threw her way. She glanced over at the girl who walked beside her, she was tanner than herself but equally as young and free spirited as she was.

Nadia was wearing a warm smile as she caught her friend watching her. "What?" She asked with a small chuckle. They'd been walking for a few blocks by now just taking in the sights.

"Nothing." Scarlet smiled, shaking her head at her new best friend. "I was just admiring how sharp you look in that uniform." She told her earnestly.

"Shut up." Mafia blushed, her arms dangling in the air as she walked, strutted was more accurate.

"Did you ever think in a million years that you would be doing this right now?" The question hung in the air, Nadia didn't know what to say she had spent most of her adult life doing unlawful things and now that she thought about it she didn't think she'd even live to be 20, yet there she was at the ripe old age of 20 strutting down the block in a CPD uniform, granted it was only a loaner from the academy but she wore it proudly all the same.

"Let's just say it took a lot of wrong turns to get here, but the journey was worth it."

Scarlet smiled, she liked that answer. She liked it a lot. It reminded her of exactly why she wanted to become a cop. Those twists and turns she'd endured on her way here was exactly why she needed to help other people, to prevent them from going down bad paths and to help those who felt like they couldn't help themselves. "You're already sounding like a cop."

"Oh look we're here." Nadia nodded up ahead, she was proud to call this precinct hers even though she was still in the academy. Even if she was assigned to another precinct she would always consider this place a part of her.

"Erin!" She called up ahead, the brunette turned to the direction of the voice, a smile lit up on her face.

"She's the one who turned my life around. You're going to love her." Nadia told Scarlet who was watching from beside her.

Scarlet admired the pretty girl cop who was walking over towards them, she'd always admired female cops and Erin was no exception.

"Hi, I'm Scarlet Quinn." Scarlet held her hand out eagerly for Erin to shake. She wore a smile across her ruby red lips and her eyes sparkled just as bright as her teeth.

Erin gave Nadia a look, it's not that she wasn't pleased with the friendly gesture, she just hadn't expected it so early on a Monday morning. "Detective Erin Lindsay." Erin smiled, shaking her hand firmly.

"Nadia has told me so much about you."

Erin's eyebrow curled upright. "Oh really?" She turned to Nadia with a teasing glow.

"There aren't that many female cops to look up to, I just wanted to make sure Scarlet looked up to the best." Nadia shrugged, following Erin into the building.

"Hey is that Platt?" Scarlet asked as they walked in the entrance. Erin had to hold back a chuckle, it seemed Nadia had been telling Scarlet a lot more than just which cops she should admire.

"Now normally I'd leave you down here to be shown around by some of the uniforms, but since Nadia had been a special part of intelligence, I'm going to see what I can do." Erin told the two girls.

She walked herself up the stairs, leaving the pair unattended in the foyer. Scarlet let out an excited sigh, turning to her friend with eyes filled with excitement.

"She's exactly what you said she'd be like." Scarlet informed her, taking in her surroundings.

Nadia smiled, grabbing hold of Scarlet's shoulders. "Get a grip okay? As soon as we get upstairs you're going to have to start acting like you've got yourself together."

"I will Nads, don't worry." She promised, crossing her heart.

It was only a few minutes before Erin appeared in front of them, nodding her heads towards the stairs. "Come on up." She ushered them in front of her and followed quickly behind them.

"There she is!" Antonio hollered as soon as Nadia appeared up the stairs.

"This is Scarlet, she's from the academy." Nadia introduced to the rest of the intelligence team, Scarlet couldn't help but feel shy as everyone quickly introduced themselves. She noticed a man from the corner of her eye, he must have been the infamous Voight Nadia had told her about, she couldn't help but shudder from delight as he caught her eye.

"Nice to meet you all." Scarlet smiled sweetly as Lindsay offered to make them a spot of coffee.

Nadia turned around upon hearing footsteps, she smiled and waved over to the newly arrived Jay Halstead.

"Who do we have here?" He asked motioning towards the blonde with her back turned to him.

Nadia reached over to grab Scarlet's attention. "Scarlet, this is detective Jay Halstead."

Scarlet smiled, she reached out her hand and he reached out his. The pair shook in a professional manor. "Scarlet Quinn."

"You can call me Halstead." He smiled, letting go of her small hand.

"I'll call you." She nodded before realising what she had said, "that" she quickly added feeling her face heating up.

Nadia bit her lip suppressing her own laughter.

Thankfully for Scarlet she had somewhere else to alert her attention when Lindsay walked through holding three coffee mugs.

"Where's mine?" Jay asked her cheekily, Lindsay looked at him with a wild smirk.

"You wish I was your errand girl." She laughed sarcastically. Jay chuckled, reaching over to steal Erin's own mug.

She began to protest as he took a sip, his lips never touching the side. Her hand reached out to him waiting for the return of her drink.

He grinned cheekily as their hands met, mug between them.

Scarlet shot Nadia a look, mouthing the words "Are they together?"

Nadia shrugged and turned away, she wasn't getting involved with that situation at all.

The two young women had been friends since the day they both started out at the academy and now they were nearing the end of their time there and it was very possible that they were going to be assigned different precincts, which was why Nadia wanted to introduce her new best friend to the people who changed her life, the people who made her see her own potential.

She was glad to see that everyone was getting along with Scarlet, especially Erin who had been telling her all about the crazy things that went on between cases. So when an invitation was vocalised for an evening at Molly's Nadia insisted to Scarlet that they had to go and to her delight her friend agreed.

"You never told me that everyone was so good looking." Scarlet giggled as they got out of their cab, Nadia shook her head disapprovingly at the blonde who hadn't shut up about the intelligence team all afternoon.

"They're good at their job, that's all that matters right?" She said as the two girls linked arms.

"That's what they've been teaching us for months." Scarlet laughed, stepping to the same rhythm as Nadia as they wandered down the street towards the infamous Molly's she'd heard so much about.

They'd almost made it to the entrance when Scarlet let out a yelp, someone had grabbed her arm in a violent manor.

"How much are you charging tonight?" The pervert asked her, failing to let go of her arm. She was scared, shaking like a leaf.

"Get off of her!" Nadia yelled, trying to push him off. He stumbled backward, but his grip remained on her arm.

"Shut up you bitch, I know you're a hooker I've seen you working the streets." He spat at Nadia, pushing her away from himself, he wasn't interested in her, he only had eyes for Scarlet who as far as he knew was new to this game.

"Hey! Get your hands off of her!" A male voice interrupted, Scarlet looked over into the handsome eyes of Jay Halstead who had come to her rescue.

Nadia let out a sigh of relief as the man lurked off into the shadows, she turned to Scarlet who looked traumatised. "I'm sorry babe, let's get you inside." She cooed, wrapping her arm around the thin girl. Jay reached out to graze her forearm with his finger tips.

"Are you alright?" He asked, wanting to make sure she was okay.

Scarlet let a brave smile appear across her thin lips and nodded. She was lying through her teeth but if they knew the truth she didn't think she could live with it.


	2. Hope You're Ready

**Hello readers! A few people have questioned me since I ship linstead, but I assure you love is not the main theme of this story. I want to explore a lot of different things so I hope you stick around. **

When Nadia had described Trudy Platt, Scarlet at first thought she was exaggerating. But sure enough there she was barking orders at them like there was no tomorrow. It was a part of their training to spend a few weeks at a precinct, and Platt had pulled strings to get them there.

Scarlet had never met such a woman, but she stood there intrigued by Platt, she was so eager to get on her good side that she'd done miles of paper work already, and it wasn't even lunch time.

"Is there anything else I can do Sarg?" Scarlet questioned, leaning over the front desk. Platt raised an eyebrow, figuring this newbie was trying to skip out on paper work.

"No, you just do your paper work." She instructed, which Scarlet nodded her head to.

"Was there more? I thought you said these were the last." She asked, handing over a large pile of finished files.

Platt thumbed through them all, double checking. She had doubts that someone like Scarlet could possibly have finished in that time and done it correctly.

Platt was indeed impressed, Scarlet thought for sure that she saw the corners of the older woman's lips turn upward for a split second. "Alright, I need you to run this package up to intelligence, Nadia should be there answering phones. Don't stop to gossip, I need you back here as soon as possible."

Scarlet felt her stomach turn in knots, she was thrilled to be going up stairs even if it was just to deliver a package.

She flew up those stairs, nearly dropping the package and falling down with it. Once she'd steadied herself she was ready to walk in.

Everyone was sitting at their desks, Nadia was mid phone call so Scarlet stood patiently beside of her. She watched as Erin turned to talk to Antonio, she smiled. This was what she wanted, to work in a unit that were all close to each other. She wanted to work like this forever.

Jay looked up from his desk and nodded his head as a greeting, she smiled and waved back to him. The other night at Molly's he'd saved her and that was when she knew that good men actually existed.

She turned toward Nadia who had just finished up her phone call. "You didn't have to wait, you could have just left it on my desk." Nadia was teasing her, but Scarlet couldn't help but feel defensive.

"It's my first day okay?" She hissed, giving Nadia a saddened look.

Nadia felt bad, a change of subject was the way to turn t around. "How's it going down stairs?"

"Sergeant Platt is exactly how you described her. But somehow I'm kind of really enjoying all the paperwork."

Nadia chuckled, it didn't surprise her one bit. Scarlet had always been a hard worker, a nerd as she liked to tease her.

It had been a while since she'd arrived so Scarlet thought it might be best if she went back down stairs before Platt came looking for her.

"Hey Scarlet Rookie!" Platt did the honours of ushering the youngster over to her desk as soon as she poked her head down stairs.

The sensation of expecting the worst was something that Scarlet had become accustomed to the past few years and this was no different. She was bracing herself for an earful of sarcasm but Platt surprisingly wasn't angry.

"This here is Officer Burgess, you're going to shadow her for the rest of the afternoon." Platt explained, introducing the two.

"Nice to meet you." Kim smiled, shaking Scarlet's hand happily.

"You've already met her boyfriend, Detective Ruzek." Platt added, knowing how embarrassed Kim would be.

"Oh! Well yeah, he seemed nice too." Scarlet nodded. She knew that this was making Kim uncomfortable so she tried to ease herself out of the conversation.

"So, what're we doing today exactly?"

Platt didn't answer her, instead she just handed Burgess a set of car keys. Kim took them graciously, happy to be able to drive for once. "We're just going to patrol and wait for any calls to come through. You're fine with smoothies aren't you?" She asked with a toothy smile.

Scarlet nodded. Of course she was fine with that.

Platt shot Burgess a look as if to say, spill any and you're licking it clean.

The two women turned to leave, with Platt calling out behind them, "Look after her, she's one of the best police we have down stairs." Causing Kim to smile excitedly. It wasn't often when she heard a compliment from Platt.

"So why aren't you in intelligence?" Scarlet asked as they walked the pavement, the patrol cars were parked out back and the pair had to walk a little while. At first Kim was going to answer her, tell her why she didn't get the promotion but a part of her didn't even blame Voight for why he hadn't promoted her last year. She loved her job downstairs, stopping crime while it was happening rather than waiting for bodies to turn up.

She took a sharp inward breath and turned towards her. "I like my job, I became a cop to be a cop and that's what I do."

Scarlet respected that answer, in fact she respected all the female cops she'd ever been in contact with. "The reason why I wanted to be a cop is because of cops like you."

Kim smiled, "Thank-you!"

The delight in Kim's voice, and on her face made Scarlet wriggle with excitement. She climbed into the passenger side of the squad car and buckled herself in for the ride.

Although she'd spent most of her life in Chicago, it was a pleasure to be driven through streets she was unfamiliar with, Kim was telling her all about the times she'd encountered strange things on these very streets, it fascinated her completely, she was eating up every word.

It was just her luck when Burgess responded to a call, a robbery in a convenience store. She turned to Scarlet and said, "Hope you're ready for this." Before swinging the car around and speeding off down the road.


	3. Bourbon?

Scarlet had become accustomed to spending most of her evenings at Molly's, she had just turned 21 a few months earlier but had never stepped foot into a bar before she'd met Nadia. Now she would have a drink every evening and wind down with some of the cops she'd been working with.

"Bourbon? How did you discover you liked the taste?" Jay asked, he must have snuck up behind her since she hadn't noticed him being in the bar when she arrived.

She spun around to face him, her drink firmly in her grasp, she smiled and said coolly, "It was my dad's beverage of choice." She explained, not going into more detail.

Jay was the gentleman sort who knew better than to pry into a lady's personal life. He nodded and slid into the barstool beside her.

"So, Platt seems to like you. How'd you manage that?" He teased as Gabriela poured him a drink, she couldn't help but notice the pair and remember when he'd sit at that very same stool a few years back.

"She's not so bad."

Jay laughed, raising his glass at Gabby as a thank you. "You must have done something, I've been working there for years and she still doesn't like me."

Scarlet shook her head, "No, that's impossible. A guy like you? She's probably secretly crushing." She smiled and took another sip of her drink.

Jay's eyes sparkled as he smiled, he looked at Scarlet as he took another sip of his own.

"So, where's your girlfriend tonight?" The question hit Jay unexpectedly, he started coughing loudly.

"I don't have a girlfriend" he told her between coughs, Scarlet's hand was patting him on the back lightly and he was suddenly aware of it being there. He soon regained his breath, and repeated his statement. "I don't have a girlfriend, what made you think I did?"

Scarlet turned the colour of her namesake, she quickly removed her hand from his back feeling embarrassment wash over her entire body. "I, just you and Lindsay..." She spluttered awkwardly.

Jay chuckled, "Yeah, well you're not the only one who thought that." His chuckle was bitter, like he was upset but Scarlet was too scared to dig any further. She didn't want to push him away.

"You know tomorrow I could use your help. So I'm going to talk to Platt and I'll see you then." He told her, standing up and throwing his jacket over his shoulders and his arms through the holes. He left his drink and a $20 bill laying on the counter of the bar and Scarlet watched him as he walked away into the night.

Platt hauled Scarlet over to her as soon as the bright eyed young woman walked into the station the following morning. She looked different than she had the day before, like she was already annoyed by her. Scarlet felt instantly worried as far as she knew she hadn't done anything wrong.

"Someone upstairs requested to work with you today." Platt spoke flatly, like this very fact bored her.

"Alright, will I be back here with you tomorrow?" Scarlet asked her with a warm smile. She was trying to make sure she was back on Platt's good side, knowing that if she left that side for any reason the rest of her placement here would be absolute torture.

Platt's face softened slightly, "I'll see you tomorrow." She told her, nodding her head towards the stairs as if to tell her to hurry the hell up.

She didn't waste another second, bouncing up those stairs in a few long strides. She stopped at the tip of the staircase, giving herself a moment to catch her breath. Her uniform was sitting perfectly but she fiddled with it insecurely anyway.

Jay was busy writing names on the Whiteboard when she walked in, so her next move was to walk over to Nadia who was already filing things on her desk.

"You look like you're about to get on a roller coaster." Nadia told her, looking up for only a second.

"I do not." Scarlet defended, catching her reflection in one of the windows.

"If that's your story."

"Do you know why I'm up here?" She asked Nadia, but her friend looked up at her with a confused expression on her face.

"No, should I?"

Scarlet shook her head, "I just don't know myself. Platt just told me I was requested."

Nadia's eyes lit up. She signalled Scarlet to come in closer before whispering excitedly, "You know Ruzek was still in the academy when they pulled him out to be in this unit."

Scarlet could feel her heart beating, the logical side of herself knew that wasn't going to happen to her but a part of her was excited by the possibility.

Jay had since noticed her arrival and was almost at Nadia's desk when Nadia spotted him. "Detective." She smiled, wondering what he wanted.

"Scarlet, you ready?" He asked and Nadia's eyes almost popped out of her head.

Scarlet didn't know what to say so she just nodded, feeling like an idiot. He was a detective, her superior and there she was unable to even form an intelligent response. She felt like a complete phoney.

Jay lead her down the hallway and into the change room. She was a little confused at first, was this some kind of top secret conversation?

"We're going undercover today, if you're up for that?" He asked, walking her down to the end of the room. On one of the seats sat a pile of neatly folded clothes, along with a purse and jewellery.

"Who exactly am I being today?" She asked, reaching out to inspect her new outfit.

"Let's just say you won't be playing yourself." He smiled, leaving the room so she could change.

He was right, when Scarlet checked herself out in the mirror, she looked completely different. She'd never worn something like this in her life, the skirt was shorter than she'd ever owned and her shirt was cropped almost directly under her breasts. She wandered back out to find Jay when all eyes landed on her.

"Jay, what did you do to her?" Erin asked from across the room.

He wandered over to Scarlet and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "Nothing, she looks fine." He shot Erin a look, one that informed her that her comments were helping nobody.

Nadia was the next person to speak, she hardly recognised her friend anymore. "Is she meant to be dressed like me, because I think I did it better." She said in a serious tone, just as Scarlet went to wrap her insecure arms around herself Nadia broke out into a smile, letting her friend know that she was only teasing.

Voight walked out of his office and noticed Jay with his arm around the young officer, his eyes met Jay's causing the young detective to return his arm to where it belonged.

"I want a wire on her before you leave here." He instructed before retreating back into his office and closing the door behind him.

It was Erin who wired Scarlet up, the two girls were isolated from the rest of the unit, as Erin was having to attach it inside of her bra. "Be careful out there." Erin warned her, Scarlet felt nerves surface once again. Everyone kept saying things like that which made her feel like she was being out into danger.

"Am I going to be in there alone?" She asked shyly as Erin fiddled with the sides of her lacy bra.

Erin didn't answer straight away, not with a pin in her mouth. "Jay is going in with you." She reminded her, although Scarlet wasn't aware of what this operation actually entailed, she began to think that everyone else was in on the details.

"Is it normal to feel nervous?" Scarlet asked as Erin had moved behind her, it felt funny having a stranger playing with her bra, but it was Erin and for some reason it didn't bother her so much. Nadia had told her everything Erin had done for her, and somehow that made her feel safe around the female detective.

"Everyone gets nervous, you just have to try and suppress them." Erin told her, walking back around to the front of her. She handed her back her crop top and smiled encouragingly.

Scarlet couldn't help but still feel shockingly nervous. Erin could sense it on her like a predator could sense fear in it's prey.

"Just try and relax alright?" Erin rubbed her elbow softly. "Did you do drama in school?"

Scarlett nodded, she was Juliet's understudy in 10th grade.

"It's just like that, you're not Scarlet Quinn the cop, you're Scarlet Quinn the amateur porn star."

Scarlet felt her cheeks flush, porn star? She thought for sure that she was going to be sick. That's not what she had expected this mission to be and the fact that Jay requested her made it all seem worse. Why her? Why not Nadia or even Erin? Was that how he saw her? Or did he actually think she was a good cop? There were so many questions circulating through her mind, things like possibilities of what she'd actually have to do.

"You're just going for an interview with a director." Erin added, noticing the panic on her face.

That should have made her feel better but for some reason it did not.


	4. You're Hot

**Thank-you for reading! Love getting all your feedback, it's so diverse I love it.**

Jay was driving the car, Scarlet was watching the road they were driving over. She had somehow overcome her nerves and was trying to get into her character.

Jay had been playing with the radio for at least a minute, she wished he would just pick a station already.

"Sorry for ambushing you into this." He spoke, stopping on a station finally.

She turned to get a look at him, one hand was on the steering wheel and the other was resting on his thigh.

"You should have told me." She said sadly, it's not that she didn't want to help. She would have liked to have had at least a small heads up to what he meant last night.

"I'm sorry." He sounded sincere, and she believed that he actually was sorry. She was just scared, and he wasn't helping, being so easily forgiving.

"Are you going to tell me what we're doing now or what?" She questioned, sitting up straighter and looking out the front windshield.

"We've been working on this case, these porn guys are involved in something big, but we have no way in to talk to them, they've got their own security who aren't the kind of guys who will willingly let the cops come snooping around. We're a couple who are struggling to pay the bills, but heard that they were the guys to go to for a quick money fix."

"And if they want us to demonstrate?" She asked, biting down on her lip after the words had fallen from her mouth.

"I was thinking maybe we could say we're into foreplay more than the actual grand show." He chuckled. This really wasn't bothering him was it?

"So, why'd you pick me?" She asked the question that had been on her mind this entire time.

"Because you're hot." He said with a smirk.

She could feel her cheeks heating up and it was so goddamn embarrassing.

"I picked you because you're a good cop, I've seen how serious you take the job and there is no better way to prove it than to put yourself out there and help close cases."

"Why do you want to help me? I'm just a silly little rookie."

"We've all been rookie's, and you ask every cop and they'll tell you that every case matters, no matter who you are if you close a case, you're doing your job right."

"Thanks Jay." She stopped, did she just call him Jay? She'd heard rumours of how he didn't like people underneath him calling him that. She wanted the ground to swallow her up.

"Don't sweat it, cops help cops. That's what we do."

Jay pulled over outside a gated mansion, they'd been driving for a while and Scarlet hadn't been paying much attention to where they were actually headed, she looked up at the tall building and was in awe.

Jay came over to her side of the car and opened her door for her just like a gentleman.

She thanked him and climbed out, she suddenly started regretting letting Jay choose her outfit, she felt like a cheap hooker, which made her feel horrible considering her best friend's past.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, whispering into her ear. "Smile, we're supposed to be happy." She turned the corners of her mouth up and glanced at him with a sarcastic grin.

He laughed, spotting the security camera from the corner of his eye. He leaned over and pressed his lips to her forehead chastely.

She felt herself relax against his embrace, she was working after all. This was what she became a cop to do, to solve cases no matter what. She could do this. She'd told herself that in the mirror every morning. This was what she was born to do.

Not the porn obviously.

Or the cuddling up to Jay.

Even though she had no objection to that second one.

The gate opened slowly, the pair of them stood on the driveway awaiting their allowed entrance. Scarlet was ready, and she wasn't going to let fear get in her way.

"Ready?" Jay whispered as if reading her thoughts.

"You bet."

The driveway was long, the walk started hurting Scarlet's feet which were neatly tucked into stiletto heels that were higher than any shoe she owned. Jay had moved his arm from around her shoulders and opted to hand holding instead. His hands were so much bigger than hers, which made her feel so much younger than him, like she was just a kid playing dress up. He didn't seem bothered by it at all, probably because he was in love with Erin, and didn't see her as anything other than a cop.

They reached the front door, which was opened before they had the chance to knock, Jay walked in first, allowing her to follow on behind him, their hands still joined.

A man twice Jay's size lead them down a long corridor, Scarlet tried to catch Jay's eye but he was keeping his eyes forward. Smart move, she thought to herself as she tried to solely concentrate on keeping her balance.

They were instructed to sit down in an office, Scarlet looked around at the crimson coloured walls, and the sound booth that conjoined the room. The lights were off in the room behind the glass but she had a hunch on what exactly happened in that room.

Jay leaned over and kissed below her ear, whispering "Relax, I'm right here," to her, his intent was to calm her down, but his actions took the opposite effect.

"Mr and Mrs Halstead, what a pleasure to meet you." Said a short middle aged man, he was tan, and spoke with a slight Italian accent although Scarlet was sure he's probably lived in America his entire life.

"The pleasure is ours." Jay started to say, but Scarlet beat him too it. He was surprised, she'd seemed too anxious to speak on the way in.

"Now, what interest does a nice couple like you have in this business?" The man asked, Scarlet still didn't know his name all she knew was that he smelled of mustard and sausage and she hated the idea of him ever watching her or anyone else having sex.

"Scar and I have always been on the experimental side, right honey?" He turned the question over to Scarlet whose cheeks were threatening to flush.

"This one time we just couldn't help ourselves, we did it right there on that yacht in the middle of boat season. Gave those fishermen a good show," She winked at the slimy man and gazed at Jay with loving eyes.

"She's a frisky one." Jay confirmed, "Always got her hands all over me." He gestured down at his lap, Scarlet quickly moved her hand toward his upper thigh just in time for the nameless perv to look over the desk.

"I can see that." He smiled at the pair of them, sitting back down on his desk chair. "I hope you know that this business is hard to get into, you're going to have to prove yourselves to even get to the taping stage."

Scarlet nodded enthusiastically, "Oh sir we are going to be the best thing you ever jerked off to."

His eyes narrowed, meeting hers. She thought for sure that she'd blown it until he cracked a seedy smile.

He turned to Jay and pointed at Scarlet. "I like this girl, you've got a keeper."

Jay flashed his teeth, "Don't I know it."

"So what do you say?" Scarlet asked him, "Will you give us a shot?"

The man nodded his head, "I know exactly how you can prove your commitment."


	5. Perverted Dress-Ups

**Thank-you so much for reading! Your comments inspire me to keep writing. I am a huge linstead shipper but this is so much fun to write, I like Scarlet and she's fun to bring to life. Tell me what you think of this so far!**

Jay was still holding Scarlet's hand when they walked back to his car. He opened her door for her like a gentleman before walking over to the driver's side.

She buckled herself in, not knowing what to say. She didn't know how she felt about their task, but she definitely didn't know what Jay thought about it all.

He spoke, but it wasn't to her. He was speaking to whoever was listening through the wire.

"How are we going to pull this off?" He asked out into the open.

Scarlet felt her heart racing, this wasn't the type of police work she'd signed up for at the Academy. She hadn't even graduated yet! She still have two weeks left.

"Scarlet?" Jay snapped his fingers to grab her attention. It was then that she realised she'd gotten lost in her thoughts. Jay had already driven way past the house they'd just left.

"Sorry, what'd you say?" She asked him.

"We're not actually going to have sex, but we need to do everything we can to get this bastards trust. He's dodgy."

She agreed, Ferguson O'Brien was his name she'd later found out. He was some mega rich porn producer who was famous for filming real life couples. Which was funny because her and Jay were hardly even friends.

"Okay, we'll do whatever it takes." She agreed, even though the swirling feeling in her stomach wasn't going away.

"I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do, as soon as you want out. We're going to stop this and find some other way to get what we need." He promised, and she believed him.

She couldn't get the conversation out of her mind. Ferguson's idea of loyalty was sickening. He'd proposed that they'd have to perform and record themselves in the act of public sex, something Scarlet herself found dirty and unappealing.

She didn't know why that was his chosen audition tape, but it was and she hadn't had the guts to persuade him into something different. Especially since he could have easily made them both strip off right there and then, and forced them to go at it like animals. She would have died right on the spot.

As soon as they arrived back at their district, Scarlet went straight to the bathroom, she needed to get rid of her ridiculous outfit and that damn wire wasn't exactly giving her any privacy either. There were things she wanted to say to Jay, things she didn't feel comfortable sharing with the whole of intelligence.

"Quinn." Platt called after her once she was back in her uniform.

She walked over to the sergeants desk, her undercover clothes tucked under her arm.

"I heard you did good work today." Platt started, causing Scarlet to nod modestly. "But I guess you won't be working for me tomorrow."

"I am really sorry, if I had known this would last longer than today I wouldn't have taken it."

Trudy Platt was a lot of things but she wasn't stupid. "Yes you would have, and you know how I know that?"

Scarlet shook her head.

"Because you're good police, and any good cop would take this job and not worry about saving the desk sergeant from her paperwork."

Scarlet smiled shyly, she didn't know whether Platt was mad or glad for her so she was trying to play it safe.

"Now go upstairs before I tell pretty boy that you're not allowed to play perverted dress ups with him tomorrow."

Scarlet laughed, and rushed her way back up those stairs, running straight into Erin. "I'm so sorry." She spluttered.

"Just remember to keep your eyes open the next time you run up a staircase." Erin said lightly.

"I'm sorry." She said again, clearly embarrassed by the whole situation.

"You did good today Scarlet."

"Thank-you." Her dimples appeared as a giant smile tried to reach ear to ear.

Erin turned to leave, but Scarlet just couldn't let it go. "Detective?" She asked, causing Erin to turn back.

"Hmm?" She asked, wanting to get going.

"I don't meant to be stepping on your toes or anything, I mean with you and Jay..."

Erin laughed and shook her head. "You're not, we're strictly partners. You can go for it if you want." She smiled before rushing off back down the stairs.

This should have reassured her that she wasn't making anything uncomfortable around the office, but a part of her still felt uneasy. What Jay had said the other day had really stuck with her. "You're not the only one who thought that."

Nadia wasn't one to gossip, but every time she tried to mention the pair she went all quiet and distant like she was trying hard not to say something.

It was extremely frustrating on Scarlet's end.

Jay saw her walking in, he noticed her change of clothes and raised an eyebrow. "Didn't like my taste?" He asked with a cheeky smirk.

She shook her head. "That was Scarlet Halstead the porn star, this is Scarlet Quinn the awkward academy cop." She laughed, looking down at her Beaty pressed uniform.

He smiled, reaching out his hand offering to take the clothes off her hand. She thanked him and took a seat behind one of the empty desks. The room was empty except for Nadia who was busy talking on one of the phones.

Jay sat down after he had put the clothes away in one of his drawers, he sat backwards on one of the wheeled chairs, facing her as he rested his face down on the head rest. "So, on a scale of one to ten how freaked out are you right now?"

"Is ten the highest?"

"Ten is always the highest." He said matter of a factly.

"Probably a solid eight."

"Great, so there's still hope."

"I have one question, how are we going to do this?" She asked, biting down on the side of her left thumb.

"We'll have you ever seen a movie? They don't actually have sex, but they're still pretty good at faking it."

"So you're a Hollywood guy now?" She teased, reaching over to lightly shove his elbow.

He gave her a cocky look and shrugged his shoulders. "Well I mean I do have the face for it."

"I'm not going to argue with that."

"Why are you a cop?" He finally asked, she knew he'd been wondering it for a while even though technically she wasn't a cop just yet. She had so many possible scenarios in her head as to what he'd probably already assumed about her and none of them were good.

"Can't a girl just want to help people?" She tried pathetically.

"Well in my experience, it's usually more than that. A lot of grew up with cop parents, or had parents who regularly interacted with cops, some of us are trying to save the people who remind us of ourselves. There's all kinds of reasons and I am yet to meet someone who became a cop just because."

"We've only shared one drink together detective, I'm not sure that warrants swapping backstories just yet."

He nodded, that was fair. "Well maybe we should get another drink soon, since we're going to have to see each other naked pretty soon." He winked, and although most winks were perceived as sleazy and perverted. When Jay winked, it made her cheeks hurt.

He didn't seem to notice her impending smile however since he ran his finger tips over her elbow. "So, tonight? Molly's?" He asked eagerly and what else could she say other than yes?


	6. Big Day Tomorrow

**Thanks for all the reviews! **

She wore her hair down, and lips were painted the colour of her namesake. Her blonde hair didn't go too far past her shoulders, and her little navy dress fell to just above her knees. She hadn't worn her hair down for months, at least not outside her apartment.

Nadia had bailed, she was spending the night with Erin doing something or another. She hadn't exactly told her specifics, but the two girls promised they'd spend a night together just the two of them tomorrow.

Scarlet scanned the room, Jay was already sitting at the bar. An empty stool sat beside him and she didn't know if it was a coincidence or if he'd left it there just for her.

She didn't have to wonder for long because he spotted her across the room and waved her over. It wasn't until she came closer did she notice they weren't alone. Ruzek was sitting on Jay's other side, he cheered when he noticed Scarlet had arrived. "There's our pornstar."

Scarlet's cheeks grew warm, she hoped nobody was paying him any attention considering how damaging that label could do for her career. Jay leaned over to Adam and flicked the back of his ear causing him to cry out.

"Don't call her that."

Scarlet slid into the stool beside Jay, laying her hands out on the bar counter. "So, whose going to be filming this thing anyhow?" She asked, knowing it would stir up Adam.

"I did film in college for a few weeks." He offered proudly, causing Jay to roll his eyes.

"You're not filming it."

Scarlet opened her mouth widely as if mocking shock in Adam's direction.

"Come on man, you owe me." Adam begged, just as Kim started walking over.

"Hey Burgess, you know your boyfriend wants to film Scarlet and I in compromising positions. I think you should get him some help."

Ruzek laughed nervously and shook his head. "They're kidding baby." Kim tilted her head and rested her hands on her hips.

"I'm sure they are..." She pretended to believe him.

Jay laughed and turned back to Scarlet, "You look different." He noted, looking her up and down.

"What? So just because I'm a cop doesn't mean I know how to dress up?" She joked, waving over Hermann who was tending the bar.

"What can I get you two?" Hermann asked, he was cleaning two glasses right in front of them.

Jay was about to answer for her when she stopped him. "You don't know me well enough to order for me." She reminded him, turning to Hermann again. "I'll have a Gin martini."

Jay looked wounded, but he ordered his beer anyway. "You keep reminding me that I don't know you, so why don't I get to know you?" He asked, as they waited for their drinks.

"Because, you don't want to know me." She said sadly, looking away from him.

He reached over across the counter and tapped her wrist with his thumb. "You don't know that."

She shook her head, "I do. Nobody wants to hear the one about the girl who grew up in a perfect house with perfect parents who sent her to perfect schools and a perfect college."

"Something tells me that you don't actually believe that your life was perfect."

"No, it was. Until it wasn't anymore."

"Nobody has a perfect life Scarlet." He tried to reassure her, but she'd already made up her mind years ago, and the distinct memory of when everything changed was still on her mind, it never left. She didn't want to scare people off with her past. That was her biggest fear.

"Yeah? Well I'd do anything to be living in my old life again."

His thumb was still stroking her wrist, but the clattering of glasses and Hermann's voice spooked him into moving it away.

"Enough about me." Scarlet perked up, "We came here to have a good time didn't we?"

Jay nodded and gave her a smile although he was worried about her, why she thought so badly about herself. He put on a brave face and raised his glass.

"To undercover." She toasted, and Jay tapped his glass against hers.

"To Porn." He added cheekily, with a grin to match.

She shook her head, laughing at him.

They didn't get drunk because as Jay kept putting it, they had a big day tomorrow. Jay had offered, like the gentleman he was, to drive her home but Scarlet wasn't having any of that. She knew if he dropped her home, she'd probably invite him in and things would just become extremely awkward. She didn't want things to be awkward between them at all.

Jay opted instead to just walk her back to her car, he'd called her pretty three times between Molly's and her car that was parked around the corner, and every time made her believe it more than the last.

When they finally arrived at her Mercedes, she walked around to the passenger side and he followed.

"So, tonight was good." He prompted, as she scrounged around her purse for her car keys. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Yeah it was." She agreed, finally finding her keys.

"Sorry about trying to dig around in your past, your business is your business." He seemed genuinely apologetic, she opened her car door and he leaned up against it, watching her climb into the driver's seat.

"It's okay, don't sweat it. You're not the first guy who's wanted to know what's behind the smile."

"Well, I'd better let you go. We've got a big day tomorrow."

Scarlet smiled one last time at him and started the car's ignition. He didn't move however. He just stayed there a little longer than he probably should have.

"I need my door so I can go home."

He moved, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry."

She shook her head to tell him it was fine.

He stepped back up onto the curb and watched her drive away, "Big day tomorrow." He whispered to himself as her car went further and further into the distance. He stayed watching until it was completely out of sight before walking back to his own car and heading home himself.


	7. Now Or Never

**This story has been going in a direction I never expected it to go. I mean I put a line in a chapter a few ago when Erin said "You're not Scarlet Quinn the rookie cop, you're scarlet Quinn the amateur porn star." I put that in their for shock value, to make it funny and it just kind of went on from there. A part of me knows this would never happen on the show, but now that I opened that can of worms I'm just going to see where it goes from here. Thank you all for reading this so far! I feel like this is my new Copnapped because it's so easy to write and I enjoy extending the story so often so I hope you like this chapter. **

Erin arrived to work the same time as Jay, she walked past his car, and slowed down so he could catch up with her.

"Late night?" She asked, noticing that he looked a little tired.

"Not really."

"You worried about something?" She asked, they were friends and she wanted him to remember that she cared.

"Just a big day today." He smiled, crossing the road with her.

"Jay, I know you have a thing for this girl but you hardly know her. Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked, as they neared the front steps.

"Erin, you had to chance to be on this case and you didn't want to take it, so if you're going to lecture me.."

She shook her head. "I'm not lecturing you about anything Jay. Just be careful."

Jay laughed bitterly, "I am careful, which is why I'm not doing this with you."

She felt like he'd punched her in the gut. She watched him walk past her and enter the building, she didn't know what she did to him but she was going to give him space to get over it.

It was then that Nadia and Scarlet walked up the steps.

"Hey Erin, are you coming in?" Nadia asked, pausing on the first step.

Erin nodded, "Yeah."

Nadia smiled and nodded her head. "See you inside." She told her, walking with her arm linked with Scarlet's.

The blonde smiled back at Erin as she walked with Nadia into the foyer.

Jay grabbed Scarlet's arm as soon as she walked in the door. Nadia looked startled, but she let go of her friend so Jay could talk to her as he pleased.

She walked over to Platt and sighed. "I don't know what's up with those two." She told the sergeant who showed little to no interest in the pairing.

"Are you going to be busy upstairs today?" She asked Nadia, leaning over the desk to get closer to the younger woman.

"Just the usual phone work." She shrugged.

"I'm putting you with Roman today, Burgess has some thing on. I don't remember what it was."

"Okay...just let me go and tell Voight.."

Platt shook her head. "No need, the academy put you and the scarlet rookie under my supervision, if sergeant Voight needs you he can put in a request, just like pretty boy did with your pal."

Nadia looked confused but nodded her head anyway. "Okay Sergeant."

Scarlet followed Jay's lead into an empty room. He sat down against the edge of the table and she closed the door.

"What are we doing in here?" She asked him, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay with all of this."

She nodded. "Of course."

He nodded, wanting to believe her. The look on her face was stopping him, she looked anxious and he didn't like that. He didn't want her to be uncomfortable.

"Scarlet." He spoke with concern, she looked him in the eye and smiled sweetly. She was fine, or at least she would be. It was normal to feel nervous about this wasn't it?

"I'm fine okay?" She chuckled, walking over to grab his arm. "Jay, you worry too much."

Scarlet didn't know what to expect, she'd never even shot a sex tape. Not even in college. This was all so surreal. Especially when Atwater and Ruzek started explaining the lighting and how they cameras were going to work.

Jay was the one who had decided how this was all going to go down, he'd talked to a manager at a local furniture store who had allowed them to use a section of his store for official police business.

They weren't going to allow the public to actually watch, Jay had made sure that everyone knew that was not an option. They were going to have their team walk past in the background, acting as civilians.

After last time, Scarlet didn't know if she trusted Jay to be in charge of the wardrobe choices so Erin had taken over.

"Don't over think this okay? If you want to stop, you just say the word and I'll come right in." Erin told her as she accompanied her in the ladies room.

"I know it's going to be fake and all, but do you blame me for being nervous?" Scarlet questioned her as she finished the final touches of her outfit.

Erin had been a lot kinder to her, with a girly dress and some sexy underwear. She thought it was more appropriate than last time. Especially since it was supposed to be in public.

Scarlet appeared outside of the stall, she looked at her reflection as Erin came up behind her. "You look great." She told the younger girl.

"Thanks." She beamed from ear to ear, turning to face Erin.

"You'll make sure they stop if I need to?" She asked nervously, suddenly realising what she was about to do. It was terrifying her.

Erin nodded. "I promise, and you know Voight. He'd never let anything happen to any of us, especially when he can control our safety. You're one of us now."

Those words coming from Erin possibly meant more to her than if they'd come from Voight himself. She nodded, taking Erin's words on board. "Well I guess it's now or never?"


	8. Action

Jay was talking to Adam about camera angles when Scarlet walked over to them. They'd managed to put up false walls across the back half of the bed section, there was two beds in the background of their shoot, making sure it still looked like they were in the store.

"Here she is." Adam smiled as she stopped between him and Jay.

"You ready?" Jay asked her, knocking her shoulder with her own.

"Ready for my close up." She joked, flashing him a nervous smile.

He laughed, just as Voight called them all over, Erin stood beside him with her arms folded across her chest.

"We're not going to make this any more uncomfortable than we need to." Voight said straight up.

"Antonio and I will be outside, Atwater will be in charge of the technology, Ruzek, Lindsay and Burgess will be civilians in the background. Other than that, we will all be acting like mature adults. This is for a case; we're not in high school." He looked directly at Ruzek as he spoke, knowing he was already getting overly excited.

"Yes boss." Ruzek nodded, trying to hide his smirk.

Jay tossed Scarlet a supportive look but she was looking the other way. He reached out and lightly touched her arm.

She turned to him slightly, smiling softly. Her arms were wrapped across her body, like she was closing herself off and for a moment Jay thought that this was a stupid idea, there were other ways they could have approached this case. He was worried he'd spooked Scarlet right off.

He walked over to Atwater, leaning in to have a private word. "She's really nervous, do you think maybe we could have a practice without everyone gawking at us?" He asked, and Atwater nodded.

"Sure thing."

Jay thanked him, and walked over to Scarlet. Voight and Antonio had already left the room, leaving only Adam and Erin who were waiting for instructions.

"Kim's running a little late." Adam announced, checking his cell phone.

"That's alright, we're going to have a practice just so we know where we're coming from." Jay told him, looking over at Scarlet who had turned bright red.

Erin looked between them, "Are you sure?" She asked, worried that this was all going to go south.

Scarlet nodded, and Jay gave her a confused look. She shrugged it off and patted Scarlet's arm gently. She guided Adam out of the room with Atwater following.

Jay waited until they were alone, he sat down on the corner of one of the beds. "So, what did you have in mind?" He asked her sweetly, wanting her to feel as comfortable as possible.

She shrugged, not wanting him to know that she'd thought about it all night.

He leaned back on the bed, using his arms as support to hold him up. "I was thinking we could walk in from over there." He pointed, she followed his finger and nodded her head. "Maybe I could pull you down onto the bed, and you'll ask me what I'm doing or something."

"Jay, no offence but the getting there part is probably the least we have to worry about." She laughed.

He had to agree with that. She did have a point. "Okay, well what are we going to do about that other part?" He asked her, neither of them could look each other in the eye. They'd performed a fantastic example of avoiding eye contact, and they were getting nowhere fast.

Out of nowhere, Jay reached out and pulled Scarlet down onto the mattress beside of him. His hands gently pushed back her hair, tucking the strands behind her ear, she smiled and met his eyes for the first time, her teeth biting down against her lower lip.

"We're supposed to be married, so I guess we have to at least act familiar around each other." He whispered, their bodies inched closer like they had all the time in the world.

Scarlet couldn't stand the suspense, her lips crashed against his, catching him off guard at first. He was lost for a moment, still shocked that she'd jumped right in. He ran one hand behind her head, holding her, his fingers in her hair. She smiled against his mouth, inching her tongue against his lips. He murmured, and ran his spare hand around her petite frame, his fingers looped underneath her dress, she knew he was trying to unhook her bra, but it caught her completely off guard, she pulled herself away from him as fast as she could, nearly falling off the bed.

Jay wiped his lips, and watched her carefully. In a matter of seconds she'd completely changed. She looked into his eyes, but Jay noticed her eyes no longer looked at him with adoration, she looked terrified and he was the cause. "Scarlet." He started, but she shook him off, running out to the others.

Jay thought for sure that the entire mission had ended right there and then, but he was interrupted by voices, Atwater, Erin, Adam and Kim were all walking back in, Scarlet accompanying them.

"So, are we set to go?" Atwater asked, taking his position behind the camera. Jay tossed a look at Scarlet who smiled back at him. Her eyes had returned back to normal, and he thought maybe he'd imagined the incident earlier, she walked over to him and felt the need to apologise.

"Sorry for freaking out like that, it's just been a while since anyone has wanted to..."

Jay stopped her, "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, scared to touch her. His hands stopped mid air between himself and wanting to reach over and touch her shoulder as he spoke. She noticed his change around her and her smile widened.

"Jay, it's sweet that you're so worried about me. But I trust you, I promise."

He nodded, still feeling uneasy about it all, he didn't know if he should go through with it but Scarlet was insisting that she was fine, if he had no solid reason for stopping he knew Voight would have his head on a platter, this was all his idea after all.

Atwater gave them a countdown, everyone scattered into positions. Erin was a single shopper, with Adam and Kim being a couple searching for a new bed. Scarlet took Jay's hand as they walked into frame. She laughed as Jay pulled her onto the bed like he'd planned to when they were alone, she lifted herself up on the bed, looking up just past the camera. "You're not seriously going to film us in here are you?" She asked Jay who'd jumped off the bed to 'adjust the camera' She watched him as he walked back over to her. "You wanted this job didn't you?" Jay asked her, the way he was looking at her made Scarlet realise that he was acting for the camera's benefit, he genuinely wanted to make sure she was up for it.

"Babe, we're trying to buy a house, and I've always had a thing for watching myself on camera." She purred, climbing on top of him. Her head was spinning, memories flashed across her mind, but she was in control, her memories weren't going to ruin this for her. She leaned over him and pressed her lips against his, she could feel Jay smiling against her which only made her want to kiss him more.

They were supposed to be acting, but there was a part of her that meant every kiss, a part of her that wanted him to take off his shirt, that loved being able to run her hands up and down his chest.

Unlike the rehearsal, Jay waited for her to guide his hands inside of her dress; he waited for permission which made her think about what kind of man he truly was.

She could hear Adam and Kim talking about mattress prices in the background, but all she wanted to focus on was the man who was pulling her dress off over her head. She giggled nervously at the face he made when he saw what her underwear looked like, and maybe if they weren't in a room with all his colleagues, she'd have gone about things differently, but this wasn't real, not when her lips were running down his neck, not when his hands stoked up and down her back, none of this was real and it teased her more than she wanted to admit.

When Atwater finally called cut, and Jay rolled out from underneath her, her head was spinning. She didn't know what this meant for the two of them, but she knew what it meant for her.


	9. Just Friends

**I'm working on some more one shots and a chapter for TVK but this fic is so easy to write chapters for and the others involve me having to think out suspects and case leads and I'm a little slower at that. I hope none of you mind me updating a lot of this today! **

Scarlet lay back on her bed later that evening. She was still wearing that lingerie Erin had bought her, her hands trailed down her toned stomach, she took in a deep breath, her heart raced as soon as she closed her eyes. There were things she was trying to forget, things she wished she had already forgotten.

Jay had called her twice since she's left the station. He'd wanted to make sure she was alright even though she's insisted that she was fine. To a certain degree she wasn't lying, in the big scheme of things today was one of the good days, and she had Jay to thank for that but at the same time she just wanted to be left alone.

When Jay had walked out those doors, he'd left the building with the person he'd walked into it with that very morning.

Erin was walking quickly to keep up, she seemed worried but lately he'd seen that in everyone. "You going to Molly's tonight?" He asked her, as she walked along side him.

"So now you're okay with doing things with me?" She asked warily, knowing he probably regretted snapping at her earlier.

"Yeah, so do you want to grab a beer with me?" He asked, slipping his hands into his pockets.

She smiled, "Where's your girlfriend?" Erin asked him, she knew he liked her. And most parts of her were relieved that he was finally trying to move on. As long as they worked together, Voight was never going to approve and neither was she. She couldn't let herself get caught up in romance, not now. Not at work. Jay had always struggled to understand that, he'd always insisted that they could do whatever they wanted and everything would somehow just work out fine between them. She'd never shared his views on that, which was why she was happy to see him interested in someone else. Even if she had to watch it.

Then there were the other parts, they were only small but they were still there. The parts of her that still held onto the what if's, and the maybe one day's. She knew it was silly to feel like that. She didn't want to be the girl who didn't want the guy to move on even if she wasn't going to be with him. That wasn't who she was. Which was why she wanted him to find somebody else, it was the only smart thing to do.

"She's not my girlfriend." Jay corrected her, "I don't know where she is, she won't answer my calls." He admitted, kicking a stone on the footpath in front of him.

Erin managed to kick that very stone, and Jay ran to catch it before it landed on the road. "Maybe there is a reason for that. You did just fake sex with her."

Jay sighed. "It's a work thing, we're just friends."

"That's what you said about me big guy." She reminded him with a friendly grin. She didn't want him to feel uncomfortable.

"Well according to you, that's all we ever were."

"Right." She agreed. They stopped at the curb and both watched for cars before passing together.

"I'm still mad at you for that." Jay informed Erin once they were safely across the road. She didn't like this, she didn't like the idea of Jay ever being hurt or angry at her. She wanted them to get along, it's all she ever wanted.

"You'll get over it."

Jay nodded and started walking down to his car. There were two cars between his and Erin's, so they were still close enough to talk to each other.

"So, was that a no to the beer?" Jay called out to her from beside his car.

She nodded her head and called back to him that she was sorry.

"Some other time." He called back, before slipping into his driver's side.

Scarlet decided to let Jay out of his misery, she pressed call back on her phone and waited for him to answer.

He hadn't even started his car yet when his phone started ringing. He answered on the second ring. "Hey."

"Sorry for rushing away so quickly, today was really hard."

Jay locked his doors and turned all of his attention to her. He thought for sure she was going to open up to him finally, and that's something he'd been hoping for the past few days.

"It was a lot to take in."

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have just left like that."

"I talked to Voight, he said we don't have to send in that video, we have these detectives from New York who are better at all this than I am and they'll probably be able to come up with a better way of solving this case."

"Really?" She asked, sounding so small. Jay knew then that he should have never started this, he was stupid to think that any of this would have worked. He'd gotten her into this big mess and now she probably would never forget him and his stupid porn making.

"I can tell him tomorrow, he'll make the call."

"Not that I didn't have fun pretending to be your wife and all..."

"I know. I'm sorry for getting you into this whole mess."

"It's fine." She seemed to be perking up already.

"I hope this won't make things awkward between us." He was starting to worry that he'd already blown it, because as much as he liked to remind Erin about how much she hurt him, he wasn't against the idea of moving on, and kissing Scarlet earlier had been the first time he'd felt like it was possible.

"Definitely not." Scarlet laughed, sounding like her old self.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"You'll see me then."


	10. Thank-you Sergeant

**Hello pals! Hope you're doing well. Just a little chapter for you guys! I wrote it during my lunch break today. If you like it, let me know!**

Scarlet had been working all morning, following Platt's orders. The older woman was secretly glad to have her rookie back working for her. Scarlet didn't mind, she was happy working alongside Platt whom she admired.

Scarlet hadn't seen Jay all day and to be completely honest she didn't even mind. She wasn't going to be that girl again, the one who made a boy the most important part of her life. She refused to be that person ever again. Which was why she was burying herself in her work.

She hadn't come to this district to look for romance, she'd come there to work her little butt off so she could become the best cop she could.

The office was buzzing about the arrival of two New York detectives, but Scarlet hadn't seen them. She'd been off doing all of Platt's dirty work. So she wasn't surprised, in fact she didn't even know if they'd arrived yet.

"Scarlet Rookie." Platt nodded Scarlet over to her. She obeyed, what else could she do? It was Platt. She rested her elbows a top of the desk, she smiled to indicate that she was giving Platt her attention.

"I need you to take these upstairs, I need Sergeant Voight's signatures on these documents. Tell him it's important, if he tells you to put it on his desk remind him that I won't be happy."

Scarlet nodded. "Got it." She pulled the paperwork from off the counter and slowly made her way up the stairs, only to have Platt call out to hurry her up. She ran after that, almost tripping on the very last step.

She didn't realise that she'd be interrupting something, so when nine sets of eyes all landed on her she felt strangely out of place.

"Sorry." She babbled, quickly rushing over to Voight. He welcomed her with a smile as she walked between the group of detectives, they'd all fallen silent which made her feel nervous, they were watching her and she knew that.

He looked down at the paper work in her hand and signalled for her to follow him into his office. He took a seat, and Scarlet followed suit.

"Sergeant Platt says these need to be signed urgently." She explained nervously. This was the first time she'd ever been alone with him.

He sat down at his desk without so much as a grunt of acknowledgement.

"The video was erased, it wasn't played back not even once. You don't have to worry about that." He spoke, taking his eyes off the paper for a second to catch her eye.

"Thank-you." She squealed, playing with her uniform nervously.

"Halstead was right to pull you up on the case." He told her as he slid the completed pages over to her side of his desk.

"Thank-you Sergeant." She said softly.

Voight smiled as he stood to his feet, she followed his lead and headed out the door.

Jay was watching her as she appeared, he wanted to ask her if she was alright but they were working on the case. It wasn't the time to get distracted.

He noticed the look in Scarlet's eye when she glanced at Amanda Rollins. The two woman shared a look before Scarlet turned away with that same fear he'd seen the day before.

She didn't meet his eye, and before he knew it she was already gone. He'd had no choice but to reinvest his attention the the case.

It was late by the time Voight finally called it a night, everyone working in intelligence started making their way down the stairs in drips and drabs, Jay was surprised that Platt was still behind the desk. She usually made it a habit to get home before the night sergeant arrived, that way she never had to deal with all their mistakes. Sure enough, Trudy Platt was still sitting behind her desk, her attention engrossed in whatever she was reading.

Jay couldn't help but pay attention as Amanda told Nick she'd catch up to him, Nick nodded and continued outside with Antonio who'd been chatting away about something his son had said on the phone last night.

A soft touch startled Jay as he turned to find Erin with her hand on his elbow. "You coming?" She asked with a teasing grin. He smiled back at her before nodding towards Amanda who had made her way over to Platt.

He pressed his finger to his lips, and Erin frowned. She didn't want to eavesdrop on anyone.

"Excuse me, was there an officer about my height, blonde hair. Going by the name Scarlet?" Amanda asked, Platt's eyes lit up at the mention of Scarlet's name.

"What interest do you have in Scarlet rookie?" Platt asked, raising an eyebrow. Jay looked at Erin with confusion, she shrugged. It wasn't like she had any more knowledge on the situation than he had.

"I just thought I knew her from somewhere, have a good night Sergeant."

Jay looked at Erin, who shrugged, she had no idea what any of that was about, and to be honest she didn't think he should get involved at all. "Jay, it's between them."

He nodded, "I know." He did know, and maybe a part of him knew he should leave it alone, but for some odd reason or another he didn't want to leave it alone. There was something going on and he needed to know what it was.

"Jay." Erin's disapproving tone would have normally stopped him, but things had changed. He flashed her one of the his "I'm innocent," smiles and walked out the door.


	11. Not Tonight

**Sorry that I haven't been updating much this week, I was going to have a week off from writing but I'll see how I go. Thanks for your reviews, they always keep me going. I will try and update my other fics as well as this one before the end of the week. Let me know what you think about this chapter? **

A string of impatient knocks taunted her as she tried to sleep, there were certain things a person didn't mind being woken up from but this wasn't one of those.

She scrambled around her room trying to find the light switch. Curses spilled from her lips as she tiptoed across the room, yelling out to the annoying knocker, "I'm coming!" she cursed a few more times on her periling journey through her apartment, it was pitch black for the most part, considering her room wasn't a central part of her home. She reached blindly for her lamp, which cast a small shine in her small living space, it was enough for her.

By the time she'd made it to her front door, she thought for sure that her visitor had given up. But sure enough she was greeted by an unfriendly face. Scarlet slammed the door shut before a word could be spoken between them.

The banging against her door continued, this time it was louder and all the more annoying. If Scarlet was living anywhere else she may have called the cops to come and collect but this was down town Chicago where she couldn't get away with doing that.

"Scarlet, just let me in!" The voice on the other side of the door persisted. She didn't want to let her inside, she wanted to be left alone but the persistent nature ran in their blood.

"Go away Amanda. I don't want to speak to you." She called through the door, her heart pounded through her chest like a drill's vibration. She could feel a lump forming in her throat but she wasn't going to let Amanda get to her, not this time. She wasn't going to let herself go down that path again.

She opened the door, peeking through the chain that maintained only a small strip between them. She sighed, holding one hand to her hip. Amanda was wearing an old leather jacket, one that brought Scarlet memories from their childhood. "Why are you even here?" Scarlet was the first to speak, her voice sounded so shallow and broken, but her face showed no mercy.

Amanda's face filled with regret. She didn't know how she was supposed to act, the two girls hadn't seen each other in years but even now with a door stuck between them they mirrored each other perfectly. This was the first time they'd faces each other, the first time they'd been in the same room, unless you counted their brief encounter earlier.

"I didn't know you were back in Chicago, last time I worked on a case here Mom said you weren't around." Amanda started, trailing off once she noticed the sick look woe across Scarlet's face.

Scarlet laughed bitterly, her eyes fiery like a desert sun. "Don't pretend you suddenly care about me." She was pissed, she felt like she'd been slapped in the face.

"I do care about you!" Her sister spluttered, the frustration illuminated between the pair. Amanda was started to grow impatient and Scarlet wanted nothing more than to have Amanda walk away without another word.

"I wish I could believe that." Scarlet whispered, looking down at the ground. She really wanted to believe her sister more than anything in the world but she just couldn't, there were too many memories that prevented her from that ability. She was too damaged.

"I'll be in town until this case is over, if you change your mind I'll be around." Amanda told her, knowing that she wasn't getting anywhere talking through the door. Scarlet felt bad suddenly, but she wasn't going to let her sister know she felt that way.

"You stole the case from me." Scarlet whispered as Amanda turned on her heel. She watched as her sister walked away, watched her do the thing she did the best.

She could feel her chest tightening, like her world was closing in around her. She could feel herself closing up all over again and that's something she really couldn't do a second time.

It was past midnight, and she knew it was probably a bad decision but she couldn't help herself. He was the only person she could turn to right now even if he didn't know the truth.

Jay was there within ten minutes. He stood in her doorway, his hair was messy and his shirt looked like it had only just been thrown on. She smiled at his arrival, and pulled him inside. He didn't question her as she closed the door behind them.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, but she pressed her finger to his lips.

"I don't feel like talking." She whispered, causing his eyes to widen.

He didn't know what she meant exactly but he had a few ideas circulating around his mind.

He sat down beside her on her couch, it was smaller than Erin's. He cursed himself for even going into that train of thought. That was completely unfair. He scanned the room, it was filled with things, unfamiliar things. She had no photographs, no momento's of her childhood. Her lamp flickered occasionally and he made a mental note to buy her a new lightbulb, but that's not what felt odd about being in her apartment, it was the look in her eyes. He'd seen her eyes and they weren't like this. She resembled an emotion he hadn't felt in a while.

"Scarlet." He whispered when their lips were only an inch apart. She shook her head like she didn't want to listen, like the sound of her name was exactly what she was trying to avoid.

"I don't want to talk." She reminded him, threading her fingers through his. He looked down at their entanglement and smiled sweetly.

"As much as I want to do this, I don't think you're in the right mind space."

She shook her head. "I'm fine." She tried her hardest to convince him but there was something about her that he just couldn't ignore. He couldn't help but think back to Rollins who'd been asking about her earlier. But something told him to hold back, that this wasn't the time to be nosy.

He leaned down and pecked her lips softly, pulling away and wrapping his strong arms around her small frame. "Not tonight." He told her.

"Not tonight." She repeated.


	12. Sister

**I haven't been writing much lately, I am in a funk. Sorry for anyone who is waiting for updates. I am now officially in summer holidays so I'll be home for 7/8 weeks without work so hopefully I'll have time to write and I'll feel like writing again. Hope you like this chapter. Let me know if you do.**

Jay tapped his pen against his desk, tap, tap, tap. It was enough for Erin to snap.

"Jay." She called out across the room, he looked up at her. He hadn't realised he'd been tapping so loud. He hadn't realised a lot of things this morning.

"Sorry." He said softly, dropping his pen down onto his page.

All morning things had been heavy, Amaro and Antonio were both out on the case, he hadn't felt like jumping back in. Especially after his failed attempt at the beginning of the week. He still felt bad over pushing Scarlet into the deep end like that.

He hadn't seen the blonde all morning, she'd been busy according to Platt. She was real clear that he should just concentrate on his own job. Usually he would have been, but last night she'd been off. He was worried about her. Worried about everything.

Erin had picked up on his mood, she'd been trying to figure him out all morning, if she wasn't so charming he'd have found her annoying, slipping things into their every conversation, trying to get him to talk about it. She was crafty, he'd give her at least that.

He was minding his own business when Amanda stormed in. He hadn't seen her all morning, he hadn't seen her since she'd been asking about Scarlet.

Everyone looked up, she was livid. That was apparent. Her voice sounded flustered, like she'd been running or at least she was out of breath. Voight had even looked up from his desk at the sudden commotion.

At first Jay couldn't even hear what she was saying, his mind was already frazzled. But her words suddenly made perfect sense.

"Whose idea was it? Which one of you came up with the plan to send in my sister as a porn star?" She was beyond pissed, her bitter laughter spat out like acid. Jay rose to his feet, moving to try and calm her down.

He didn't even register the sister thing until Amanda was hitting him away from her.

"Scarlet is your sister?" He asked her, still processing what was going on.

Ruzek was standing by, not too far behind Amanda just in case she chucked another outburst. In case things became violent.

"Did my dear little sister tell you about her past?" She asked, still bitter. She was gaining hysteria every word she spoke. He was almost afraid of her.

"No!" He raised his hands in confusion. "She didn't tell me anything!" Jay didn't mean to yell, he was just confused. She was frustrating him to death.

"What did she say when you asked her?"

"I didn't ask her okay?" His voice raised once more.

She shook her head. "She's been through enough trauma in her life. Just leave her alone."

Jay nodded, he didn't know what else there was for him to say.

* * *

><p>Scarlet listened to the footsteps looking behind her. She had no idea how long it had been, how long she had been sitting there, her legs dangled over the roof top. The timing seemed like forever, an eternity of time seemed to have passed by.<p>

He sat down beside her, his legs dangled in the same way, they weren't touching. She noticed. It was as if he didn't want to be near her.

Silence loomed in the air, neither of them wanted to be the first to speak. She didn't want him to know the truth, he didn't want to push her into it either.

The answers were inside of her, the questions were inside of him. Their chests thumped, she could hear his heartbeat mimicking hers, fast. It was beating fast.

The air was cool, but not cool enough it seemed considering he didn't inch closer for warmth. She wanted him to touch her, to feel his body heat against hers. It wasn't happening and it was driving her mad.

Paranoia was running through her veins, they were perched on top of a rooftop, stories high off the ground, one wrong move and they'd splatter to the ground like a human pancake, but that wasn't what Scarlet was worried about.

Minutes flew by, but still they sat in silence. She couldn't stand it any longer, she couldn't stand the silence. It was deafening.

"She told you." The words lingered in the cool air, falling like confetti around their still bodies.

He didn't speak, he stared out across the city taking in the beauty of every building lit up by the setting sun.

"Did she tell you why we're not sisters anymore?" She asked, prompting him to speak.

"No." His voice wasn't his usual tone, he sounded scared, he sounded broken and lost all at the same time. She wanted to reach over, to grab his hand but she couldn't. She couldn't force herself to do that.

"As far as sisters go, she failed me."

Jay turned to face her, one hand gripped the edge of the building like he was scared he'd plummet to his death, the other reached over to squeeze her hand.

The touch was gentle, and the squeeze was delicate.

"She might be some amazing hero now, but she wasn't always. I don't have to treat her like one."

Jay nodded, he understood. He wished he didn't, but he did understand how that felt.

"I don't have to tell you or anyone. I don't have to, but I think you deserve the truth." She told him, her voice softening as she spoke. He nodded his head but swung around so his back was facing the ledge. He tried to pull her off, to take her to safety.

She let go of his hand, the wind picked up and blew her hair in its breeze. The sun was peeking out from behind her head, lighting her curls like the sun.

She smiled, standing there on that ledge. Jay's eyes filled with fear but for some reason he felt himself trusting her judgement.

"When I was sixteen, I told Amanda my biggest secret."

He watched as her face changed, her eyes turned dark, the shade of grey he'd never seen before. She looked haunted, like a spooked horse trampling around in a field of black damaged roses. Her body was seizing up like she was frightened by the words she spoke. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but her feet were firmly planted on the ledge, he was scared of her falling.

"She didn't believe me, she thought that I was making it up for attention." Scarlet's voice sounded damaged. She spoke with such fear and with unwanted emotion. "I tried to prove it to her, but she wouldn't listen to me."

"It's okay." He reached out, but she backed away. Jay felt his heart skip a beat as she inched further over the side of the building.

"She said that nobody would believe me, and that I was just trying to stir up drama. I wasn't Jay. I wasn't making it up." Tears poked out, they streamed down her face like a trickling waterfall starved of water. She was holding back, fighting her emotions. "He raped me, and she wouldn't believe it."

Jay felt the blood rush away from his face, his head began to feel faint. His knees shook like he was about to fall but he couldn't.

"My own sister, whose now some top notch detective. She didn't believe me, and I hope she had that guilt hanging over her for the rest of her life."

In a split second Jay rushed over like a flash of lightning, he held onto her limp body as she was falling, he pulled her down from that ledge, stumbling onto the ground just to hold her. There were no words to be found, nothing he could say or do would be able to change any of it. He felt like he was useless, and maybe that's exactly what he was.

* * *

><p>It was Jay who carried Scarlet to bed that evening, she clung to his T-shirt as he leaned over her bed to tuck her in. He smiled when she reached up to trace his face with her fingertips.<p>

"You did nothing wrong. I want you to know that." She whispered, her hands moving behind his head, fingers twirling in his hair.

He nodded, their eyes met in the middle. She smiled, pressing her finger into his cheek. "You're the only good thing that's come out of any of this." She whispered, closing her eyes. Her hands never left his head, the position was awkward but he couldn't bring himself to move.

Without opening her sweet eyes, she pulled him down beside of her, he moved into her side, trying to find his groove. They fit like an awkward puzzle piece, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he closed his eyes listening to the sounds of their heartbeats syncing together.


	13. Feelings

**It's almost Christmas! Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. It's also exactly two weeks until my birthday woo! Hope you like this chapter, I've had no inspiration lately! But hey, I have good news, I'm planning a copnapped sequel that will be coming sometime next year! Enjoy reading x**

Nobody understood, maybe that was her problem. She'd spent years burying herself in her studies, and into her work. She was efficient, that was the general consensus. There was something missing from her life, and for the first time in years Scarlet finally felt like she had a chance to fill that void, the only problem was that he was stepping on eggshells around her. His actions were admirable, but the annoyance was prominent.

He was in her doorway a week later, take out in his hands. She didn't like her chances but she had to go for it. She pressed her lips smack bang against his right in the doorway, he was stunned, she could feel it in the way his body tensed up straight away but to her delight he didn't fight it.

When their lips broke apart, Jay smiled that lazy grin that proved that he wasn't upset with her. He lifted the take out bags up in the air, reminding her why he'd come over in the first place. She scrunched up her pretty little face, but her smile remained.

"You only have a week left working at 21, are you ready to graduate?" He asked her while she was busy shovelling fries into her mouth.

"MMM..." She managed to mumble as she tried to swallow quickly.

He laughed and handed her a napkin for the ketchup that had landed on the tip of her chin.

"I'm excited, mostly nervous but I'm definitely ready." She admitted, reaching past Jay for her glass of water.

"You're going to make a great cop." He told her, smiling sweetly as he wrapped his arms around her. She let their embrace warm her soul, snuggling into him and closing her eyes. She was going to make a good cop, she was sure of it.

The following morning, her neck was killing her. She'd spent the entire night asleep in Jay's arms. He was already awake, his fingers twirling in her hair. She groaned, this wasn't the greatest sleep she'd ever had. "We're going to be late." She murmured, pulling away from his embrace.

Jay pouted, he didn't want to get up. Usually he would have jumped at the chance to go to work and kick some ass, but someone had changed his mood recently. Scarlet was aware of this fact, and although she was flattered, Jay needed his job. "Get up, you have a job to do." She reminded him, squirming away as he tried to pull her in for a kiss.

That was something they did now, and Scarlet wasn't complaining one bit.

As soon as she arrived at work, she was forced to let all of it off of her mind. She couldn't let Jay's kisses get in the way of her career; she needed to prove herself to her family once and for all.

It was Amanda's boyfriend who had ruined everything. The two Rollin's girls had grown up together in what seemed like a perfect childhood, their parents weren't poor, they had everything they could have asked for, they were the pretty blonde girls that weren't shy to attention from boys, Scarlet loved the way boys Amanda's age would flirt with her, even though she was significantly younger. She'd been insecure from a young age, so all the attention was enough to boost her confidence. She was sixteen when Amanda was home for Christmas, her new boyfriend in tow.

He hadn't seemed the type, he'd been charming and even their parent's loved him.

That didn't last long, the happy holidays weren't so happy after all.

He told her that she wanted it, she had asked for it with those short skirts she'd been wearing. He told her this was meant to be, and that Amanda had always told him about how amazing she was at gym, and how all the boys loved her. It was her own fault that's what he'd told her.

When he forced himself on her, nobody else was home. Her parents had taken Amanda out for a surprise, leaving the pair alone for hours. He'd called her names, he'd said she was a tease.

She'd locked herself away in her room for the rest of their visit, this wasn't happening. Things like this didn't happen to her. She was ruined.

Amanda didn't believe her, she'd laughed in her face. "You're just jealous that I'm the one with the boyfriend."

It wasn't until almost a year later, when one of Amanda's friend's sisters claimed he'd raped her did Amanda finally realise her mistake.

It was too late, Scarlet had no proof. She'd never been tested, her only hope was that the other girl would come forward. She never did, he walked away free.

It was then that Amanda started gambling, she blamed herself for all of it. She was a terrible sister and they both knew that.

Scarlet didn't want anything to do with her sister anymore, not after she'd refused to believe her in the most important time of her life. Scarlet could no longer trust her, which was why Amanda knew she needed to stop him from hurting anyone ever again.

It was then that she finally knew exactly what she needed to be.

Scarlet, although she'd never admit it, wasn't too unlike her older sister. The pair had both became cops for the same reason, so why was it so hard for them to make up?

Scarlet's eyes met with Amanda's when they walked past each other at work, Scarlet wanted to forgive her, she just wasn't ready just yet. Amanda could see it in her eyes, she was only staying a few more days, but she knew she had to give her sister space.

"When are you leaving?" Scarlet asked her, to Amanda's surprise. She hadn't expected her to speak, it was the last thing she expected.

"I leave in a few days." She answered, before Scarlet walked away without saying another word.


	14. Blast From The Past

Hello pals. Sorry I haven't been writing much. Haven't had much inspiration. Hope you like this chapter, I will hopefully update my other FICS in the next few days too. Let me know what you think xxx

Scarlet had vowed that she would never speak to her sister again. She didn't know why she was currently sitting opposite her in a restaurant. They'd been sitting there in silence for almost ten minutes, every now and then Scarlet would check her phone just as an excuse to do something. This wasn't awkward, this was taking awkward and putting it in the oven until it had expanded to twice its size. That's what this was.

"I'm glad you invited me here, it's good to see you." Amanda said after the awkward silence wouldn't leave.

Scarlet could feel her whole body pulsing; she could hear it louder than the words her sister was saying. She nodded her head politely, "Sure, it's not every day that your big sister's in town. Unless you count this week, then it's actually been every day." She was a rambler, it was no big deal. Just words seemed to spill out before she had a chance to stop them, a habit she's had since she was a teenager.

"Look, I know we don't have the best history but if you're willing to move forward and build a future with each other in it. I'd like that." Amanda told her, she was trying her hardest to reach out, to make amends for her mistakes.

Scarlet didn't know what she thought about this, she didn't know what she felt either. She blinked, not sure if she was even hearing correctly. "I'd like that too." She squeaked softly.

Amanda looked like a weight has just been lifted off of her shoulders, she smiled, and then began to fight the muscles in her face. Maybe that made her look too eager. She was though, she was eager to mend a broken relationship.

The two women talked for the next hour, Scarlet felt herself starting to relax, starting to enjoy her sister's company. It was like old times, when they would go out for an evening without their parents. She loved it; she loved this feeling of finally having a sense of family again. It was what she had been longing for; it's what she has needed for so long.

Her sister had been her strength for the longest time, when they were kids she'd been everything Scarlet aspired to be, but now she was slowly welcoming that part of her life back up. It scared her half to death but she wanted her sister back, she needed her.

Scarlet knew this wasn't going to be the last time they saw each other, but when they walked out of that restaurant she suddenly felt a sense of loss. "We'll keep in touch?" She asked, wanting Amanda to assure her that they would.

Her older sister nodded her head, she wanted that too. She wanted her baby sister back in her life. "You'll come to New York and see me." She suggested with a simple smile. This moment may have seemed awkward to anybody looking in, but to these two women it was exactly how it was supposed to be. Baby steps, that's what they were. Scarlet wrapped her arms around the older woman and let herself warm up from her touch. This was her sister, the woman she'd aspired to be like as a child. This was the Amanda she remembered. She knew they'd get there in the end, she was excited by that thought. So when Amanda was walking back to her car, Scarlet watched her every step, she no longer felt like she was walking away from her.

When Scarlet arrived back at her apartment, the door was wide open. She didn't think she'd invited anybody around. Even if she had, none of them would leave her door open.

She tiptoed through the entryway, her hand nervously dialling Jay's number. She could have called the police straight away, but she knew Jay would be an easier call to make. As far as the police were concerned she could have left the door open herself.

There wasn't anything out of place, nothing seemed to be missing. So when Jay rushed through the door ten minutes later, she rushed straight into his arms and didn't make a peep.

He wrapped those muscular arms around her small frame instinctively. There was nothing he could say or do other than hold her. She was shaking, he was strong. He tried to enwrap his strength around her, hoping that somehow it would transfer into her body.

He didn't know if anything had happened, he didn't know why this was upsetting Scarlet so much. He just knew that she needed the comfort and that's what he was going to give her.

Scarlet's head was filled with secrets, a past she wanted to keep at bay. She looked up at Jay with tear covered cheeks and tried her best to smile. A single red rose was sitting on her kitchen table. A fear sparked inside of her being at that very sight. As soon as her eyes landed on that flower her whole world started tipping upside down, everything she'd built up, her life she'd been making for herself – it was all gone. In a blink of her eye, everything had changed.

A rose that signified everything except romance to her. It brought back painful memories, the day she was raped. The day her life ended. A shudder erupted throughout her entire body. This wasn't happening. She actually refused to believe it. Her hands clung to Jay's shirt like a child afraid of their mother leaving. She knew it was clingy, but she was trying to get her head around all of this.

That rose was his signature.

And it was sitting in her house.

That son of a bitch broke into her house, not to steal anything, not to hurt her. But to scare her, he got in because he could and Scarlet has never been more frightened in her life, not since she'd last seen him.


End file.
